


Real men don't cry until it's over

by AshenAura



Category: Black Clover - Tabata Yuki (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Canon Related, Canon Rewrite
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-11
Updated: 2019-11-11
Packaged: 2021-01-27 15:23:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,016
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21394396
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AshenAura/pseuds/AshenAura
Summary: /!\Manga spoilers ahead/!\“So… yer one of those going to the Heart Kingdom, right?”“Yup.”Of course he was. He has always had a lead over him. Since the very beginning. And still…“Hey, Magna!”Luck’s smile was as bright as the sun behind his back.“Fight me! Here and now! And give everything you’ve got!”Story happens after chapter 228, before the timeskip. Little self-interpretation of Magna's POV about all that's happening.
Relationships: Magna Swing & Luck Voltia
Comments: 9
Kudos: 45





	Real men don't cry until it's over

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: if I put "Canon Rewrite" in the tags, it's mainly because nobody knows what the future holds for Magna. He may not have been mentionned when the characters chosen to fight against Spade and Megicula, but who is able to tell what Tabata has in reserve for the boy? Only time will tell.
> 
> This story is also and before all a tribute to Luck and Magna relashionship, which I find absolutely fantastic. Their interactions are gold, and I've tried to depict them as well as possible. Hopefully you'll like it!

When he reached the edge of the forest, Magna shivered. A wicked wind coming from the north had taken him by surprise. Though spring had set on the country for weeks already, the weather was still a bit unpredictable. 

The fire mage zipped his jacket and looked towards the horizon. Far away in the distance, beyond the Common Realm, lay the Forsaken Realm, his country of origin. Further to the north, there was this large forest where nobody lived – except the witches. And even further…

Another thrill ran along Magna’s spine. But this time, it wasn’t due to the cold air.

He still hadn’t recovered from what he saw back at the Diamond Kingdom. All these powerful wizards, some as strong as squad captains… all of them defeated – no, destroyed! – by only one man? If Vanessa and Luck hadn’t been there to witness it alongside him, he would have thought this was only a bad dream. A very bad dream…

Unfortunately enough, the guy was as real as the cold breeze which was turning Magna’s cheeks red. Though they didn’t see his face, the three Black Bulls’ members had noticed the symbol adorning the man’s cape: the emblem of the Spade Kingdom.

The Spade Kingdom. According to the information Asta and the others had gathered after their trip to Heart, the northern country was affiliated with the demon the Black Bull squad had been appointed to take care of. A new enemy, then… An enemy way more powerful than the creeps of Eye of the Midnight Sun. Even more powerful than the elves… 

Magna felt his heart sinking. Recently, the enemies had followed from one another, and each time, the next one was stronger than the previous one. This vicious circle seemed to never come to an end.

Raising his hand, he called out for his mana to materialize a tiny fireball in it. The flame flickered under the wind’s blow. Frowning, Magna focused his mind on it so as to make it grow. The ball grew, grew again, until it became as big as… well, what, a watermelon, maybe?

An unsatisfied “tch!” came through Magna’s teeth. Irritated, he threw the fireball away; it exploded loudly a few seconds before it hit the ground. The smoke produced vanished, blown away by the wind.

Explosions. That was the best he could do. Even if he was proud of having his very own battle style, which he had learned to improve despite his poor magic power, when he saw his comrades fighting, he couldn’t help but feel pathetic. Compared to them, he looked like a tabby cat swelling his fur to try to rival the lions. 

A joyless grin stretched Magna’s lips at this thought. Come on, manly men don’t wallow in self-pity, do they?

Shaking himself up, the fire mage resumed his walk. He was heading to a specific place. A place where he knew _someone_ would be. 

Though it was rare, as the cheerful imp he was, Luck had his times when he felt, if not blue, at least down enough to need to isolate himself. When he was in those states of mind, the guy generally used to go to the same spot: a hill at the edge of the wood that surrounded their hideout. From up there, you could see the fields of the Common Realm for kilometers, spreading to the western mountains which raised the horizon. If you went there by the evening, you could witness beautiful sunsets. Not as stunning as on the hill Finral was always talking about, but still pleasing to watch. Magna supposed it was one of the reasons why Luck liked this place.

Indeed, he was there. Magna could see his silhouette outlined against the setting sun. Luck was sitting on a small flat rock, gazing at the horizon, his blonde hair streaming in the wind.

As Magna was climbing the hill, the lightning mage noticed him approaching.

“Hm? Oh hey, Magna! What’s bringing you there? Strolling?”

Luck greeted him with a smile, one of those blank smiles he sometimes had stuck on his face. With no particular reason, Magna recalled what someone had said once: if Luck always smiled in front of others, he had to be faking at times. The grin could be sincere, as it could be a way to hide his true emotions. Emotions like concern. Doubt. Fear. 

The blonde’s words resonated again in Magna’s mind:

_“I hate to say it, but… This guy… I don’t want to fight him…!”_

Luck had also smiled when he had said that. But his grin was distorted by the obvious fear which had seized him when he saw the Spade soldier. If the cheery berserker, the one who was always eager to fight, all the more if the opponents were strong, was frightened enough to actually be reluctant to fight, it spoke volumes about the enemy’s power.

_And if even Luck is scared of them… then how the hell can I-_

“Hey, Magna?”

The fire mage started, roused from his thoughts.

“What’s wrong? You’ve zoned out…” Luck’s grin widened, turning into a mocking rictus. “And what’s with that creepy look on your face? You look like a zombie!” 

A zombie? Well, maybe he wasn’t completely wrong. Magna wouldn’t have been surprised if he was actually as livid as a dead man. The memory of what he and his mates witnessed was till haunting him, giving him chills that even the natural fire in his veins couldn’t dispel.

“Talk about creepy, ya loony…”, he replied, holding back a sigh. Then he pointed at Luck’s makeshift seat. “Mind if I sit here?”

“Huh? Sure, go on.”

His hands rammed into his pockets, Magna sat at the bottom of the rock, and gazed at a distance. That evening, the sky was filled with thin clouds, which formed a cotton-looking trail. The sunbeams decked them out with different shades of purple, pink and magenta. Such a beautiful view… But for some reason, Magna wasn’t in the mood for appreciating it. He couldn’t take his eyes off the north. The Spade Kingdom. Their next enemy.

Or let’s say the next enemy of Asta and the others.

“So… yer one of those going to train in the Heart Kingdom, right?”

He preferred going straight to the point.

“… yup.”, Luck answered after a short silence. “Apparently we’ve got six months. It’s gonna be some intense training.”

“Don’t tell me yer complaining about it?”

“I’m not.” Luck chuckled softly. “How could I? I finally get the chance to fight with powerful mages from Heart. Nothing could please me more!” 

Magna couldn’t suppress a smile. This dude would never change.

“Well, I’m glad for ya, buddy.” Magna paused. “You, Asta and the others will have a rough time of it, during those six months. But guess that’s what it takes when the threat is a goddamn demon!”

He had tried to put some enthusiasm in his voice, but it was no use. The heart wasn’t in it.

“What about you, Magna?”, Luck asked after a moment. “You’re coming with us, right?”

The fire mage clenched his teeth. There he brought the tough subject.

“Heh, honestly? I’ll pass. I… I don’t think I’m ready for the intense training thing, ya see. I’d better stay here and give my help where I can… there’s still a lot to fix after that elf mess after all. That’d be better for everyone.”

Luck’s smile faded, as amazement was written all over his face. For a moment, he seemed at a loss for words; but then he put his unreadable grin on his face again, and crossed his arms behind his neck, pretending indifference.

“Oh… Too bad for ya, then. While you loaf around here, I’m going to get even stronger! If you don’t shake a leg, you’ll be no match for me anymore~”

“I never was!”

Luck started, surprised by this sudden shout. Magna took a deep breath in an attempt to cool down. He hated it, but he couldn’t ignore the bitterness which wounded his heart any longer. 

“I never was.”, he repeated, almost in a whisper. “Honestly, Luck. You’ve already pulled the same ol’ trick on me before, but did things actually change? Sure, you’ve gotten stronger. And I’ve gotten stronger, too. But it ain’t enough. It’s never enough…”

Luck didn’t reply. Though he was keeping his head down, Magna could feel the astonished gaze of his friend weighting on his neck. 

“It’s not the first time…”, he went on. “To be fair, since I know you, I’ve never stopped feeling the gulf which divides us. I tried to act as I could fill it one day, but… Each mission we do together… Each battle we have – even when it’s just little brawls to satisfy your creepy bloodthirst… We may improve both, but you always have a lead over me.” 

He paused again, searching for the right words. “The Royal Knights selection had done nothing but confirm that. I have to be quite open about it: though we’re both commoners, we don’t live in the same world, Luck.” 

Magna glared at his hand, his fingers strained as if he was smashing some imaginary thing in his palm. Then, slowly, he folded them, clenching his fist.

“I… I feel like no matter how hard I try, I will always be left behind. Not only by you; but by everyone else. Look: Asta, Noelle… As their senior, it’s my role to protect them, isn’t it? But instead, it was Asta who protected me when you were out of yer mind…” 

A lump in his throat broke him off, as he remembered his powerlessness against the possessed mage, what’s more his best friend. 

“And now, here we go again, having to deal with an enemy way more powerful, who no one can match with, not even our strongest mages. Gotta be honest: as things stands now, I feel absolutely useless. Maybe in six months, you and the others will have a chance to stand against the threat, but me? Heh, not a chance!” 

Magna slammed his fist against the rock. The pain running along his arm seemed so insignificant compared to the one which crushed his heart. “Ya have no idea how much it pisses me off.”

Luck remained silent. To be honest, Magna didn’t expect him to say anything. Comforting others wasn’t really his thing… However, Magna didn’t care. All he needed was to get things off his chest. And if confessing his anxiety to his best friend quite bothered him, he knew it was better that way, since the lightening mage was linked to this anxiety, in a way. Now, everything was said. Talking freely had made him feel a bit better. Just a bit…

Suddenly, something hit Magna hard at the back of his skull. He bit the dust, half groggy. 

“Dammit- What’s wrong with you, Luck ya freak?!”, he yelled, holding his bleeding nose between his fingers.

Luck laughed carelessly, as he always used to do. Then he jumped off the rock, and faced Magna. Among the shadows the back light created on his face, the blonde’s smile was as bright as the setting sun behind his back.

“Hey Magna! Fight me!”

For a never-ending couple of seconds, Magna gazed at his friend with a disconcerted look. Then, still beaming, Luck opened his grimoire, and launched a thunderbolt shaped like an arrow at him. Roused, Magna instinctively dodged the spell, which grazed his shoulder.

“Ya little…!”

“Come on, Magna! Let’s fight! Here and now! A mortal combat between you and me, at full power, whaddya say?”

Electric arcs crackled around the lightning mage, who was raising his fists like a boxer reading to punch. Though completely lost, Magna took his own grimoire and started to turn the pages at full speed.

“OK, fine, loony…” A baseball bat made of fire came out of the grimoire; Magna grabbed it and aimed at Luck. He was about to retort something else, but changed his mind at the last moment and sent his fire spells instead. 

_ **“Flame Magic: Grand Slam!”** _

The fireballs flew towards Luck like multiple comets. The ground shook when they exploded at its contact; Luck, as for him, was nowhere to be seen.

But Magna was on the lookout. Indeed, another comet, like a living blue lightning, was jumping all around him, too fast to be caught by the human eye. 

“Not bad!” Magna started and turned back quickly. Luck had appeared out of nowhere, his light blue plasma-made armor crackling under his Black Bull robe. “Now try to hit me!”

Magna gulped. A droplet of sweat ran along the line of his jaw. This battle reminded him of another one… Luck may have his full consciousness this time, this appearance was for the fire mage a terrible reminder of his weakness on that time.

The fire user shook his head to drive his thoughts away. Turning another grimoire page, he summoned five fireballs, which he slammed with rhythm.

Luck ran and jumped again. The fact some balls were disappearing didn’t seem to disturb him in the slightest. So, Magna went on the balls which exploded hazardously. But here again, his opponent dodged the explosions without any effort. 

As the battle went on, the bitterness in Magna’s heart progressively turned into an irrepressible anger. He was mad at himself, mad at the entire world; and the more this feeling swelled into his chest, the more his attacks became violent – but the less precise they became as well. The darkening sky was endlessly illuminated with the glow of the fiery explosions, and the smoke produced joined the clouds above him.

Blinded by his own smokescreen, Magna sputtered, and made the mistake to try to spot Luck with his eyes alone.

A hard knock in his ribs suddenly cut his breath. For a second, he believed the ‘crack’ he heard when he hit the ground was his nose breaking against the ground, before realizing it was only his spectacles who had half broke. 

Luck’s voice reached him from above: 

“Come on! You’re not really in it, are you?”

Magna had to summon up all his will to sit up, lift his head and cross the battle fanatic’s eyes.

“Even when you’re pissed, you are able to aim better than that. The training will be awful for you if you don’t make an effort!”

“What…? I told ya I won’t come to Heart! I-”

Magna couldn’t go any further, as Luck swooped down on him, claws first. The fire mage dodged clumsily, and fell heavily on the ground. It seemed all his energy had gone away. Where was the fire that used to burn inside his guts, this manly passion that characterized him? 

Here was the answer: it was gone, too. The fire had been reduced by his failure at the Royals Knights exam, then subdued to embers by the overwhelming power of the Spade guy. 

And still…

“I don’t get it… Why…?”

Luck slightly tilted his head to the side, as if he tried to figure out if he had really heard this soft whisper. 

“Why are you wasting your time with me?”, Magna articulated between two huffs. “My magic will never be as strong as the ones you will find in Heart or Spade. So why…?”

“Who cares about that?”, Luck cut him in, chuckling. “I just wanna fight you, that’s all!”

Contradictory feelings were fighting inside Magna’s chest. He didn’t know if he should be angry, confused, or… happy?

“Knock it off!”, he cried. “You know it has no interest to fight against me! You’ll never get strong enough to fight those bloody demons of Spade if you keep hanging out with weak guys like me! So set off to this damn kingdom already and leave me be!!”

Magna’s words echoed in the wind. During a time that seemed to spread endlessly, the two boys stared at each other without saying anything. Magna looked daggers, infuriated with himself for saying such pitiful words. However – and that was the worst to admit – he knew deep inside his words held the truth. He could no more fight alongside Luck. he could no more protect anyone. Not without putting his life in danger, as well as others’ lives. Hadn’t that guy Zora told him back at the Royal Knights exam? Sometimes, it was better to shut up and withdraw from the battlefield…

Then all of sudden, Luck burst into laughter.

“And what’s so funny, exactly?!”, Magna exploded.

“Ah yes. You’re not very smart, so you don’t get it, huh?”

“S-say what?!”

Luck abstractedly lifted his eyes to the sky, where – Magna hadn’t noticed until then – dark storm clouds had gathered. The wind had gotten bigger, and thunder could be heard in the distance.

_When did he…?_ He couldn’t help it: Magna was really impressed by his friend’s power. Once again, he had improved so much…

“Of course,”, Luck said, “I have to get stronger if I want to surpass the Heart and Spade wizards. But y’know… Even when I’ll become strong enough to beat them all, it won’t be over. There will always be someone to be stronger than me, someone that would push me to improve again and again.”

He pointed his plasma-made finger at him, beaming.

“And you know what? I feel you've got the potential to be that one, Magna.” 

The fire mage’s heart missed a beat. 

“Don’t fool me. You’re able to summon a fucking storm without any effort, and you say I will surpass you? I think your lightnings have short-circuited your brain, Luck!”

“Asta hasn’t the slightest trace of mana in him, and still he is able to match with me.”, Luck pointed out. “If I have learned something while being a member of the Black Bulls, it’s that the magic power doesn’t determine the winner of a battle. Depending on your battling style, you can reverse the situation.”

Magna blinked, hit by the boy’s words. Luck gave him the warmer smile he had never seen on his face.

“If I want to get stronger now, it’s also because I don’t want to lose to you, Magna. We're partners, aren't we? So we _both_ gotta do our best to be worth standing on the same battlefield!”

_Partners_. How could a single word be so meaningful? Like the wind rekindling embers, this simple word gave the young man fresh energy. Step by step, he stood on his wobbly feet as well as he could. He grabbed his broken shades, and threw them away. 

“All right, ya little shit…” Magna pulled out another baseball bat from his glowering grimoire, and held it firm with two hands. “I’ll start by giving you a good thrashing, then I’ll send you off to Heart by kicks in the ass!!”

Luck merely smiled in reply. Magna mustered his last strength, and materialized several fireballs, which he slammed with his bat, targeting different spots. The lightning mage dodged the balls again, even the ones which exploded before reaching him. 

_Ya moron…_

But then, he noticed something odd. Some of the projectiles hadn’t disappeared, nor exploded, but were now _following_ him!

_… why the hell do you acknowledge someone like me as your rival…? I’m so weak compared to ya…_

“Homing missile?!”

“If even Finral can do it, there’s no way I can’t do it too!! Take that Luck! _**Flame Magic: Perfect Game!**_”

Since he couldn’t dodge the projectile, Luck chose to counter it instead. In a second, he had launched a Thunder Arrow to the fireball, which exploded, scattering sparks all around the area.

_My magic will never level up enough to allow me to fight against Spade, or the demons or whatever… And still… you believe in me? You actually think I can be your equal someday?_

“Huh?! The embers…!”

If his plasma-made armor protected most of his body, Luck couldn’t prevent flying sparks to hook on his robe. He tried to get rid of them, but the flames seemed insensitive to his efforts. 

_Yer really silly, buddy…_

“Take that!!” Magna clapped his fingers. “_**Flame Magic: Explosive Leechs!**_” 

_…thank you, Luck._

Though little, the sparks exploded as strongly as actual bombs. Luck went down on a knee, groggy. His robe was completely torn, and black smoke surrounded his electric jacket.

“Huff… Once they touch you, these flames won’t extinguish until they explode.” Magna was out of breath; the homing spell was even more complex to complete than the vanishing or timing fireballs, and using it for the first time had drained his last reserves of mana. “It’s… huff… the offensive variation of my binding spell.” 

Unfortunately for him, and he knew it very well, this would never be enough to take Luck down. Indeed, the smiling fiend jumped on his feet almost immediately, beaming as ever. 

“Hahaha! See? You can do it when you really want it, Magna!!”

Before the fire mage could retort anything, Luck dashed around him even faster than before, destroying everything around him like a living cataclysm. There weren’t any trees nor walls to bounce on, though! Was he leaning on the air, or what?

“_**Lightning Magic: Storm Fiend!**_”

The lightnings coming from the clouds mixed with Luck’s magic, and formed a vortex which lied around Magna. The thunder struck down on him, creating a blow which made the wind whirl furiously.

When the dust fell down, a huge hole of burnt ground had taken over the place. A rush of panic made Luck go ashen-faced; where was Magna?

Then he saw him, and sighed in relief: the fire mage was literally on his butt, staring at the hole wide-eyed.

“Whoopsie, I went a bit hard on this one~!”, the lightning boy chuckled.

“_A bit?!_ You could have killed me! I swear, if I wasn’t running out of magic right now, I-”

Luck proceeded to laugh, and Magna gave up on scolding him. He was too exhausted to do anything but lying on the ground, actually. However, as odd as it could seem, he was feeling better than ever. Appeased, in a way.

Lightning Boy’s thunder armor vanished as he closed his grimoire. He sat next to Magna, all smiles.

“Anyway, that was a great battle, right~?”

“Yeah.” Magna ignored the protestations of his body and nodded. “Yeah. Minus the fact you almost converted me into a grilled chicken, that was great.”

“Come ooon, ya wouldn’t have died for such a thing, would ya?”

“Cut it out, dumbass.”

Luck giggled. A calm silence took over them for a moment. The two boys looked up at the sky: the clouds had dispersed, allowing the first stars to shine above them.

“Honestly”, Magna spoke, “once you’re done with yer training, you’d better scare the shit outta these Spade dudes. When you get serious, ya can easily destroy an army of them.” 

As he was expecting a cheerful answer, Magna got taken by surprise when Luck remained silent, keeping gazing at the sky, making a long face. 

“…it’s the first time I feel like this.” Luck’s voice had gotten thin, as if it cost him to acknowledge what he was saying. “I… I know I will never beat him. That guy we saw in the Diamond Kingdom.”

Magna frowned, but said nothing. Luck took a deep breath, and managed to put a smile back on his face. No need to be a genius to know it was a fake one.

“I was sincere when I said I don’t wanna fight him. I still don’t. But… I know someday I’ll have to. And if it’s not that guy, it will be someone as powerful, or even stronger than him.” The boy clenched his fist. “So, I have to be ready for when that day comes.”

“… Why do you insist on trying if you’re dead aware ya won’t beat him anyway?” 

It wasn’t a reproof. Only a genuine question. “Don’t ya think it’ll be better if ya let stronger people deal with him, instead?”

“He is a threat.” Luck had answered without hesitation. His dreadful look reflected the meaning of the word he used. _A threat_. “I just can’t stay still knowing he might one day hurt the ones who are dear to me.”

Magna blinked, the beginning of a smile coming across his lips. “It kills me to admit it, but this time, ya have more guts than me, Luck. Personally, I’m too scared stiff to even consider facing this guy ever again…”

“It’s not really that.”, Luck said, shaking his head. “I… I’m scared, actually. I know too well how it is to lose someone dear. And I… I don’t want to go through that ever again. I don’t want to lose anyone again.”

If his voice didn’t tremble, Magna noticed Luck’s fists were slightly shivering. 

“Then, ya understand why I said I felt useless?”, the fire mage sighed. “Yer not the only one to feel that way. Sadly, I'm not as suicidal as ya...”

“You’re not useless.”, Luck cut him in. Magna wasn’t sure how he could be sure of it, but Luck’s grin seemed to have turned genuine. “Nobody is. Everyone can help! After all, we don’t fight alone, right?”

“Don't take it the wrong way, but that’s kinda odd to hear that from ya, buddy.” Magna said with a sarcastic grin. “But honestly? If I have a role to play in this freaking battle, ya can tell me what it is? Because I have absolutely no idea.”

“Well…” 

Luck’s expression suddenly froze, sticking to a blank smile with dull eyes.

“… Dammit, yer awful at comforting others, ya stupid!!”

Luck laughed hard, which irritated the fire mage even more. But then, he turned to look at him, and gave him an impish wink.

“Sorry, Fireball! I’m better at battling than at making speeches, ya see.”

“Sure thing, but… to be honest, what you said during the battle actually cheered me up.”

“Hm? And what did I say, exactly? Can’t remember~!”

“… Nevermind, just drop it.”

A smile tugged at the corner of the young man’s mouth. 

“Hey, Magna.” Luck raised his clenched fist and pointed it at the fire mage. “Once this battle is over, I wanna fight against you again. Whether you come to Heart with us or not, I don’t mind. You do as you feel. But promise me you’ll battle me again when all this mess is over, ‘kay~?”

Magna’s eyes widened with astonishment. 

Since he was little, he had always been aware of how commoners were looked down. Joining a Magic Knight squad had felt like a middle finger to this fucked up society, which would never recognize his true worth. But time had been passing, enemies had followed each other, and over the years, his self-confidence had wavered. If that wasn’t for this little devil of Luck, he would have given up for a long time, he knew it.

Seriously, that guy…

“Huh? Magna? Are you crying?”

“D-don’t s-say trash, ya idiot…” Magna sniffed, then pulled himself together to grin back at Luck, before putting his own fist against his. “Real men don’t cry. Not until it’s over.”

_And it’s not. As long as I’ll have magic in me, I’ll keep growing stronger! Unlike you, I don’t think I will ever surpass you. But I can promise this: we’ll fight again, Luck. A man’s word is his bond!_

All of this, Magna wished he could have said it; but the lump in his throat was so big the words remained sealed off in it.

Luck, as for him, merely laughed in response.

"Whoops, it's very late, now!", he exclaimed suddenly. "If we don't get back in time for dinner, Charmy's gonna kill us~!"

"Yer right." Magna wiped his eyes, and stood up. "Let's get back."

♣-♣-♣

The day after, Magna woke up early to prepare his Crazy Cyclone for a trip. A trip to where? This, he hadn’t decided yet. But no rush: he knew he would find eventually.

“Ah there you are!” Magna turned to look at Vanessa, who had joined him, a bottle of wine – or any other alcohol – in her hands. Her red magical cat was perching on her shoulder as always, looking as tipsy as his mistress. “What’s happening with you to get up so early, little delinquent?”

“Quit calling me like that already!”, the young man moaned. “Besides, ya’ve been awaken for barely an hour and yer already drunk? I should be the one to ask what’s up with ya, ol’ witch!”

Said witch took another sip of her bottle, as if to defy him. Damn, she could act so childish, at times…

“Luck and the others are about to set off to the Heart Kingdom.”, Vanessa suddenly said. “You’re not going with them?”

For a couple of seconds, Magna stared at the void, recalling what happened the night before. Then he smiled, and shook his head.

“Nah. I have other things in mind. Gotta play my own role in this mess, ya see.”

Vanessa gave him a puzzled look, then shrugged.

“You seem to know what you’re doing.”, she said with a soft voice. “Still, you don’t want to say goodbye? They won’t come back before a long time, you know.”

“I know. But it’s ok. Sometimes words are useless.”

A group of voices echoed between the trees. Somewhere not far from them, Asta and the other Black Bulls who were going to Heart were chatting loudly, probably saying goodbye to Gordon and the others mages who will just stay here. He heard Finral calling out for his mates; he must have had opened the portal leading to Heart.

_Off you go, buddy._

Maybe he wouldn’t be part of the terrible battle. Maybe he wouldn’t get stronger than he already was. But it had no importance anymore. Everyone had its role to play in this business. Magna just had to find out what was his.

Magna tightened his grip on the horns that made the handlebars of his vehicle, his heart burning with a new confidence.

_And off I go. Just wait for me, Luck. Till we meet again…_

**Author's Note:**

> Off you go, Magna... To where? Well, it's up to you readers to imagine it...


End file.
